The French Election

Recently, politics has become a popular topic to discuss. I thought that instead of writing about mainly the Unitied States and our mixed up system right now, I would talk about a historical and current topic that also involved politics. The French election not only seemed worth mentioning, but also a reminder of how we all have intense things happening to us. The French culture is also very beautiful so I thought that I'd write about something I love. I hope you enjoy my thoughts!

The French Election America, you need to keep up with the French election; and the future ones to come. France is a republic, which means that they elect candidates just like the United States. I’m here to tell you all about the main candidates, the way the French election works, and who you should be rooting for. The results of the French election will shake the rest of the world, cause a rift in religious beliefs, and whether or not anyone wants to admit this, the French Donald Trump is running, and you may want to be on the look out. So, allez mes amis. Whoever France picks, you better be ready for the consequences. Firstly, you’re probably wondering why you need to know about the French election; especially when you’re not an active resident of Europe. We already have a dilemma in the United States with the head chief. How are you supposed to focus on France when you can’t even keep your own country in check? And what about the stress of regular everyday life? There’s no way you’re worried about the French middle-class! Well, this topic, however foreign it may seem, will affect you. Let’s get one thing straight. The French election is over. So, whatever beliefs you have on who should win and what you hope for France are mostly out the window, because they have a new president. Emmanuel Marcon, a centralist in politics, won the French election just recently. He basically wants better pay for teachers and a better economy in France. Marine Le Pen, the recent loss wanted to extract France from the EU, NATO, and limit the amount of immigrations into France every year. You can point out which one was preferred. But, before all this occurred, France had a couple candidates in the running. The French vote in a way called the “two-round system”. They vote for who they like best out of all the candidates, and then once it’s narrowed down to the top two candidates, they vote on who they agree with the most out of the two. As you can guess, Marcon and Le Pen were the top two. Well, what will the French election do for the rest of the world? So far, the French election is a pretty boring subject, but aren’t all politics? Mostly, whoever wins the election has the power to cause a dramatic effect on the rest of the world. Le Pen, our French version of Donald Trump, wants to leave the EU and NATO. Oh no. Now you’re wondering what the heck the EU and NATO are! Putting this as short and sweet as I can, the EU stands for the European Union. You may have heard of Brexit, which is the process of Great Britain leaving the EU. This supranational organization basically lets its 28 members travel in between countries without needing a passport so business can be run smoother. They all use the same currency (mostly) and the economy is high. The EU is a really good organization to be in. NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Many countries belong to NATO. Their main job is to protect each other in times of strife and help each other when the going gets hard, such as war. If France left these groups, it being one of the strongest allies, they would have a hard time keeping it together; the EU especially. Also, immigrations could be cut down to only 10.000 entries per year. That could really hurt a lot of French colonies and people looking for help in the French people. Le Pen is behind all these decisions, so choosing her would really hurt many other countries outside of France. Next, if religious discrimination is something you despise, Le Pen winning the French election could effect you. She wants to ban outward religious dress. That means that if you wear something religious outside of your home, you’d get in trouble for doing so. Right now in the U.S., people are discriminated for being a part of a certain religion. We all can relate to the horrors that have taken place. Do we really want to wish that on another country? Finally, Donald Trump. I’m sad to say that yes, we can relate the two. Le Pen and Donald Trump have the same view points; xenophobia and doing what’s worse for the country, regardless of who it’ll affect. So, you may take a liking to Emmanuel Marcon. He has a teacher as a wife, so naturally he wants to give teachers better pay. Regardless, that’s a really good idea. Teachers teach our children and transfer one of the most precious things to another human being; knowledge. It’s only right that they should be paid more. Marcon also wishes to boost the French economy. He isn’t thinking of leaving the EU or NATO so he’s a wonderful candidate. In conclusion, the French election really is important. Elections in any country are important. Who knows who they could effect. Whether it’s effecting you or the people in that country, we’re all human beings. Good news. Emmanuel Marcon won. He’ll hopefully keep the French in check while also doing good things for the people who live there. Religion is a big issue all over the world which, with Marcon, it will hopefully be accepted more easily. This election could have effected the world either positively of negatively. Right now, we’re headed in the right direction. So, the French, along with knowing how to craft magnificent cuisine, also know how to choose the best candidate to lead the country.

Subscribe

Get Teen Ink’s 48-page monthly print edition. Written by teens since 1989.